Lab
tests: We chose to
first review the 68 medium CUC-68M, which features a medium power and fast
action. The rod is designed primarily for 6-12lb line and 1/8 to 1/4oz. Texas
rigged worms. Before hitting the water we hooked the rod into our RoD WRACK and
compared it against our previously reviewed sticks.

Rate of Deflection (RoD):
The rod measured out
most similar to one of
my favorite classics,
the G.Loomis MBR842C GLX.
The actual deflection
curve for these two rods
is similar, but the
MBR782C is just slightly
more powerful.

At El Salto we test the rod
on debut along with Jimmy
Houston

Spine, Weight, and
Balance Point: The
spine of our Cumara test
rod came out on the
bottom with a very nice
weight of 3.1 ounces and
balance point of 6.5"
above the centerline of
the reel seat. Compare
that to the MBR842C GLX
which also has a spine
on the bottom and the
Lamiglas EXC704 which
has a spine on the top.
Overall the stick felt
very light, crisp, and
well balanced in hand.

Jimmy comments how light
the overall rig feels

Real World Test:
We were lucky enough to
test the rods weeks
before ICAST last year,
and got to compare notes
with Jimmy Houston out
at El Salto Lake,
Mexico. While we got a
good feel for the rods
south of the border we
wanted to fish the new
Cumara for an extended
period, and back on our
home water where we
could not only compare
the rods with others in
our arsenal, but also in
a wider range of
applications. These
tests extended from last
July all the way until
just this week, when we
capped off the tests by
bringing the rod back
to Lake El Salto to see
if our opinions of the
rod had changed.

With the crank bite on
Jimmy switches to a
large Bomber to see how
the Cumara handles
hardbaits

Casting:
The first thing you
notice when you pick up
the Cumara is how light
the sticks are. They are
able to bring down their
total weight by a
combination of lighter
EVA foam, a split grip,
the use of a tiny
foregrip (if you can
even call it that), and
their extremely
minimalist reel seat
implementation.

The Cumara was up to the
challenge and Jimmy
cranked over 10 fish out
of one submerged treetop
alone

While best suited for
lighter baits our test
rod felt very competent
at tossing larger
plastic lures. It can
even be used for finesse
flipping and pitching.
The rod excels at
casting extremely light
baits however, and the
rod was born for fishing
6-8lb fluorocarbon line with weightless
rigs.

Zander tests the Cumara
with a small jerkbait

For a series of plastics
rods even our light
Cumara test rod is
surprisingly
multi-talented. Even our
lightweight 68 Cumara
was able to handle much
more than just Texas
rigged worms. We cast
everything from large
jigs to massive deep
diving cranks. During
one afternoon I spent
the entire time fishing
plastics while Jimmy
wanted to see just how
well this light rod
would handle big Bomber
Fat free Shad which
weigh 3/4oz, and dive
down to 18 feet in
depth. The Cumara cast
the Bombers with no
problem, and while the
tip did seem a bit light
for the lure he never
felt like the bait was
stressing the rod beyond
its capabilities. When
we got into the fish
near some submerged
treetops Jimmy worked
the Bombers hard and
landed over 10 two to
four pound fish in the
span of twenty minutes
while filming his show.

The Cumara makes use of
Fuji SIC guides, and the
bottom four are double
footed